Previously Monty had said that the risk of blight was very minor in a greenhouse. But low and behold, blight has swept through his greenhouse. He first shows his potato blight, the fungus which can turn potatoes to mush and completely defoliate them, and it affects tomatoes because tomatoes are cousins of potatoes. So, having seen the damage he then stripped all the foliage off the plants thinking it would stop the spread, and that the existing fruit would ripen. So the only recourse was to harvest the green ones and make green tomato chutney, harvest any ripe ones that seem to be unaffected by blight and eat them, and then the plants and any blighted tomatoes, he would burn. And if they can't be burnt, he suggested burying them.
For many gardeners, the beginning of September is the start of a new gardening season and, with this in mind, Monty recommends vegetables to sow now for winter cropping.
Monty is in the Dry Garden and is cutting away anything that doesn't look good now because as a rule - if it doesn't look good now, it's not going to get any better over the coming months. Monty talks through plants such as aquilegias, cardoon leaves that could come off, the mullein, umbellifers...
Monty is in the Jewel Garden to plant up a very large pot. Previously he has planted up the pots with tulips and wallflowers and last year he had dahlias and cannas. Today he is planting two types of fuchsias and will fill the gaps with vincas. Carol Klein is at home at Glebe Cottage and tells us...
